The Jetter Versus The Eel.

We are asked on a daily basis, what’s the best way to clear a drain? As far as we are concerned, it’s no contest. We use Water Jetters for 100% of our drain clearing. We have an old Electric Eel sitting in our shed covered in cobwebs, it cost us a fortune to buy at the time too! ( I better put it on E-bay now). You may be thinking this comparison is biased, well it’s not. For years we used Electric Eels, lugging around big drums of metal sprung cables that we slowly wound into the sewer. Thrashed them around inside the pipes, leaving mess everywhere and most importantly – leaving a lot of the blockage behind in the pipe we were supposed to be clearing.

Then we had an epiphany. We invested money into purchasing Drain Cameras. Our first cameras were black and white had terrible picture quality but they showed us very clearly how many roots were being left behind after an Eel was used. At the same time we invested in our first Water Jet machines. We repeated this process and saw entirely different results. The inside of the pipes were crystal clear, all of the roots were gone and the inside diameter of the pipe was back to what it should have been.

So what exactly is a Water Jetter you ask? A water jetter is a drain clearing machine that combines the use of a motor and pump to deliver water at very high volumes and pressures to cut whatever is in its way. There are many variations on Jetters. Some expel more water per liter than others, other expel a lower quantity of water at a higher pressure to cut. We prefer the high pressure machines. They are perfectly suited to domestic applications. Coupled with the correct cutting tips and used with well trained technique these machines can be undefeated at clearing drains. Note how I said used with correct technique, as our marketing states – “Not all plumbers were created equal”. The use of these machines is something that takes years of practice. Don’t get me wrong, a poor operator can still do a poor job at clearing a drain with a jetter – we see this all the time.

A word of warning: If a plumber is advertising to clear a sewer with a jetter for $99 or a price that seems too good to be true, then beware, because they are not even going to try to clear your drain. They’ll put a camera in your pipe and then try to convince you to renew it and charge thousands. Even if it didn’t need replacing. A proper attempt at clearing the drain would have fixed the problem and saved you thousands.

The moral of the story is to choose a plumber who is genuinely going to try their hardest to clear your drain. If it is found then to be broken, then that’s a different story.
Every Highlander Plumbing truck you see around Sydney has a Water Jetter built into it. Our entire fleet uses Honda motor jetters running at 4500psi. We find this to be the perfect pressure for our day to day drain clearing. All of our trucks are also fitted with 100 meter long self levelling colour drain cameras as well. We can clear drains and view them all in one visit.

Your Sydney Plumber is brought to you by Highlander Plumbing, Sydney plumbers with the experience & know-how to handle all your plumbing needs. Whether you need help with clearing a blocked drain, hot water systems & tanks, gasfitting, rainwater tanks or many other plumbing services…Highlander are Sydney plumbers you can trust!

Technorati Tags: Blocked Drain, blocked drain clearing, blocked drains

Fix a Blocked Drain

Fixing a blocked drain can be a nightmare. Whether your bathtub got blocked up with hair, your kitchen sink got clogged with bits of food, or you have a complete drainage problem, trying to fix it yourself can drain your pockets of cash.

If you think it is a minor issue and the blocked drain only seems to have occurred over the last few days then store-bought drainage cleaner may do the trick, but if it doesn’t, the worst thing you can do is shop around for more drainage cleaners or over-hyped products. In this case you will be wasting money, because you need to hit the source of the problem, which these products clearly aren’t reaching. In some cases they can make the situation worse, or overflow your system entirely.

DIY or Hire a Professional?

Often a recently blocked sink can be fixed by carefully turning off your water and inspecting the pipe. Make sure you have all the required tools and some old towels to lie down because there could be a buildup of water and gunk. Using some rubber gloves and the required wrenches, remove the pipe directly below the sink and inspect it. If it is blocked, simply clean it out and reconnect it. If you can reach down or prod further in to the pipes, do so carefully to unblock any excess waste. This will generally fix most blocked sinks. However if the problem is rooted deeper in to the plumbing then it is time to call a professional plumber.

Poor Drainage

Poor drainage can occur for a number of reasons; however it is more prevalent in older homes. Over time materials wear out and become less efficient, years of waste, grease and oil can buildup, there may be ground movement causing the pipes to move or break, tree roots can force their way through the system, and neighboring problems can seep through in to your own system.

Contacting Sydney Plumbers

Contacting a plumbing company in Sydney to fix your blocked drain is highly advisable. They have the tools and knowledge to really get in to the system.

Professional plumbers use high powered water jets, core lining and even cameras to survey the situation, something not available for DIY.

To save you money in the long run you should make sure your plumbing is fully up to date with today’s standards and if you ever find a blockage, it should be fixed immediately to prevent further and more costly damage.

Your Sydney Plumber is brought to you by Highlander Plumbing…Sydney Plumbers with the experience & know-how to handle all your plumbing needs. Whether you need help with clearing a blocked drain, hot water tank installations, gasfitting or rainwater tanks…Highlander are Sydney plumbers you can trust!

Technorati Tags: Blocked Drain, blocked drain clearing, blocked drains, sydney plumbers